The United States has imposed a 12.5% tariff on Nigerian imports after Nigeria failed to prohibit, and effectively enforce a ban on, goods produced using forced labour. The move was announced on Thursday by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), as Washington escalates the use of trade tools to pressure changes in labor practices across global supply chains.
Under the USTR’s explanation, the tariff action is aimed at countries that have not imposed and enforced restrictions on importing forced-labour products. In addition to Nigeria, the USTR identified India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and the United Kingdom as jurisdictions subject to the sanction. Nigeria is facing the highest rate at 12.5%, while the other listed countries are subject to a lower tariff of 10 percentage points less.
The tariff measure represents the latest step in a broader effort by the Trump administration to reshape aspects of global commerce through U.S. trade law. It arrives after a significant legal setback earlier this year: six months ago, the U.S. Supreme Court prevented the White House from implementing wide-ranging global tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Following that ruling, the president shifted approach to the Trade Act of 1974, invoking Section 122 to impose a broad-based 10% tariff on all imports entering the United States for up to 150 days.
After that initial phase, the administration increased the tariff to 15%. That temporary measure was scheduled to end on Friday, according to the timeline described by the U.S. government. The USTR said the forced-labour tariff decision followed extensive preparation, including investigations covering 60 economies, two rounds of public hearings, consultations with more than 45 governments, and the receipt of thousands of public submissions.
Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, framed the tariffs as a response to persistent forced labour in global production networks. He said President Trump recognizes that decades of attempts to persuade trading partners to act have not eliminated forced labour from supply chains, adding that the United States has maintained a forced-labour import ban for nearly a century and that it is now time for other trading partners to do the same.
